Pattern Breakers

Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future

De: Mike Maples Jr, Peter Ziebelman

Narrado por: Mike Maples Jr, Peter Ziebelman

Based on extensive research and real-world examples, this book upends accepted wisdom about how to achieve success when launching a startup or creating a new product.

The breakthrough concepts of Pattern Breakers come from the observations of Mike Maples Jr., a seasoned venture capitalist, who noticed something strange. Start-ups like Twitter, Twitch, and Lyft had achieved extraordinary success despite their disregard for “best practices.” In contrast, other startups deemed highly promising often failed, even when they seemed to do everything right.

Seeking answers, Maples and coauthor Peter Ziebelman set out to discover the hidden forces that drive extraordinary start-up success. Pattern-breaking success, they reveal, demands a different mindset and actions to harness developments others miss or that may, at first, seem crazy.

Pattern Breakers is filled with firsthand storytelling about initial interactions with some of the most transformative start-ups of recent times. Maples and Ziebelman challenge us to rethink how to transcend the ordinary and achieve the extraordinary.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Mike Maples, Jr and Peter Ziebelman (P)2024 PublicAffairs

“What’s luck got to do with it?”

“We are all fooled by randomness in one way or another.” What may seem randomness, can become insight magic.

From the opening lines, this awesome book takes start-up founder newbies and seasoned explorers through what folklorists call a series of "wonder-tales". It's filled with adventure and discovery of breakthroughs past, present, future and timeless, and is a fabulous journey into formerly uncharted futures, mapping how the outliers got there, exploring the powerful forces that can, and do, change our lives, and drawing out the legends.

“Breakthroughs require pattern breaking. Pattern-breaking founders create something that breaks the mold. Their pattern-breaking ideas boldly challenge us to depart from current habits. Many of us consider these pattern-breaking ideas impossible or unthinkable–at first. Ironically, the experts we respect most are often the least able to see the potential for a break from the past. Often it is the outsider, unburdened by the past, who becomes the pattern-breaking person behind a pattern-breaking idea.

Consider the breakthrough of human flight. …” Take off with Pattern Breakers, Why Some Start-ups Change the Future, by Mike Maples, Jr and Peter Ziebelman. A wonder-tale for the listener, read by both Mike & Peter in this excellent Audible version.

And find Mike on multiple podcasts, every one a great listen with more insights for outliers and future explorations. And join the conversations,

Distilled experience and actionable frameworks

m2jr has had a front row seat for a lot of the biggest startup successes of the last ~15 years, and this book is his attempt to articulate the shared decisions and traits of their early founding teams that led to their success.

One thing which I like is that in contrast with some startup books which tend to put these great founders on a pedestal and wax poetic about their great intrinsic qualities, most of the principles in this book are things that most people can apply if they are willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears.

I would recommend this book to anyone embarking on an entrepreneurial journey or who just wants to better understand how great innovations are made.

Anyone in venture or building a high growth startup should read this

Wish I would have had this book when I built my first company. Now being able to apply and reflect these insights to the new company we’re building is an incredible advantage. I want to get this book for all my network.

Utterly fabulous - an easy recommendation

I’ve read numerous books on startups, and venture capital. This at the meta level describes the fundamentals of how to create a startup that aims to create a fundamental difference. It is utterly fabulous - if you are building a startup read this book. It is that good.

It is funny, humble and full of deep insights.

Living in the Future

Thanks, Mike and Pete for writing this book. over the years, your frameworks have helped me get better at Minecraft, so I am, indeed, grateful that you all took the time to further reflect on the frameworks, the stories, and all of the warnings you’ve accumulated by the larger retros you’ve done and looking at deals, and what patterns connect to those pattern breakers who are creating the future. I put this in the must read category.

EXCELLENT!

Finally, a book on the qualitative “art” of working in VC, not just crunching numbers and reviewing metrics.

I’ve read 100s of books, this is top 5 all time

Pattern Breakers by is nothing short of revolutionary. As someone who has read hundreds of business books, it’s rare to come across one that feels truly unique. Many business books offer variations on familiar themes, but Pattern Breakers stands out as a bold and eye-opening guide to challenging the status quo.

I’m the Executive Director of High School Hustle, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching high school students how to start and scale simple hustles into successful ventures. We’ve faced significant resistance for operating like a for-profit organization within the nonprofit framework—while, of course, adhering to all 501(c)(3) regulations. This book has been a game-changer in helping us break through that resistance and scale our organization by 20x this year.

Initially, I was skeptical when my co-founder recommended this book. He’d been implementing its principles with infectious enthusiasm, but I resisted. However, as I dove in, I realized the wisdom of its approach. Pattern Breakers challenges the norm of simply “fitting in” and pushes for a results-driven, innovative mindset. It resonated deeply with our mission to empower students—not with theory, but with actionable tools to make money fast.

Our approach has been to combine microfunding, mentorship, and a no-nonsense 10-step playbook for launching practical hustles. From lawn mowing to mobile car detailing, we focus on creating real-world success over traditional theoretical exercises. This book affirmed our vision and gave us the confidence to engage top business leaders and venture capitalists in our community who share our belief in the power of entrepreneurial grit.

Breaking patterns is not easy, and the book captures the emotional and psychological toll of going against the grain. It gave us clarity and courage to persevere despite criticism from those who think nonprofits should stick to traditional models. The strategies and mindset shifts presented in this book are indispensable for anyone leading in an unconventional space.

If you’re tired of business as usual and ready to challenge deeply ingrained norms to achieve something extraordinary, this is the book for you. It’s practical, inspiring, and transformative—easily one of the most impactful reads in my career. Highly recommend!

Practical advice for founders

I learned a new way to evaluate my business ideas. It's helping me to filter out ideas that are too conservative. 👍

Equal parts practical and insightful

So much to like about this book: novel, practical frameworks. Entertaining and insightful stories. A personal perspective on luck and success. And in particular, a great way for any reader to understand why a small set of entrepreneurs and companies break out and transform the world for better. Historians will one day look to this book to understand modern entrepreneurship. Highly recommend it.

Astonishing Insights

Hands down the best advice for creating breakthrough innovations and transformative startups. If you’re considering launching a venture. LISTEN TO THIS FIRST!!
My profound appreciation to the authors for this amazing book.